Indonesia has begun its battle for medal glory at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. As of Tuesday evening, the world’s fourth-most populous country ranked 15 out of 24 countries participating in the competition. Read More »

The Philippine navy is getting a gift from South Korea that could help modernize its antiquated fleet at a time when it’s trying to look strong in the face of increasingly aggressive actions from Beijing. Read More »

Asian countries ramped up their defense spending in 2013, while military budgets in the West continued to dwindle as a share of the global total.

The Asia-Pacific region accounted for 24% of the $1.538 trillion spent worldwide last year, according to an annual defense budgets review published by IHS Jane’s on Feb. 4. By the end of the decade, it predicted, Asia’s share will have risen to 28%, highlighting an eastward power shift as Western budgets stagnate and Asian budgets continue growing. Read More »

MANILA – President Benigno Aquino III begins a two-day state visit to South Korea on Thursday to discuss trade, investment and defense cooperation.

Associated Press

It wasn’t clear on Wednesday whether the trip would even take place, as President Aquino rushed to the central Philippines to inspect heavy damage from Tuesday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake. The earthquake, which had the power of 32 Hiroshima atomic bombs, left more than 100 people dead.

But Mr. Aquino decided to move ahead with the planned trip in which he will meet with South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Read More »

In another indication of success for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in changing public sentiment, a Pew Research Center report shows that Japanese are much more optimistic about the economy than they were last year.

But the same survey, released Thursday, also shows Mr. Abe has been less successful in changing sentiment outside Japan, with an overwhelming majority of the nation’s closest Asian neighbors viewing Tokyo negatively for a perceived lack of atonement for its past military aggression. Read More »

Japan and South Korea’s foreign ministers met Monday on the sidelines of a regional security forum in Brunei, a sign of a thaw in frosty relations.

It was the first time that chief diplomats of the two governments have met since last September – and since Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in December and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye was inaugurated in February.

South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se had planned a trip to Tokyo in April, but cancelled at the last minute after several high-ranking officials in Mr. Abe’s administration visited the Yasukuni shrine, where the enshrined war dead include convicted war criminals.

Japan’s NHK national broadcaster prominently showed footage of a smiling Mr. Yun shaking hands with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida in its evening newscast.

During the meeting, Mr. Yun stressed the importance of facing up to history, to which Mr. Kishida explained that the Abe cabinet’s position on historical issues is the same as previous administrations. Mr. Yun responded that the two sides should continue to communicate and build trust, Masaru Sato, spokesman for the Japanese Foreign Ministry, told The Wall Street Journal. Read More »

A South Korean cultural wave is sweeping the world, with interest surging in areas ranging from the country’s pop music to cosmetics to television dramas. Now, smoothies could be next.

At least that is what Standard Chartered PLC’s private-equity unit is banking on with a $45.5 million joint investment with Korea’s National Pension Service for a 48% stake in Smoothies Korea Inc. Read More »

About Indonesia Real Time

Indonesia Real Time provides analysis and insight into the region, which includes Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei. Contact the editors at SEAsia@wsj.com.

E-commerce sites and mobile apps are drawing on data they’ve collected from users to better understand how and when people shop during the Islamic holy month. Here’s a look at some of what they’ve discovered.

All that burning rubbish in Indonesia may be taking its toll, with nearly a quarter of people surveyed in a recent poll saying waste management was the most prominent environmental issue in the country.